Botanical classification/cultivar designation: Chrysanthemumxc3x97morifolium cultivar Golden Yohelga.
The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemumxc3x97morifolium, commercially known as a garden-type Chrysanthemum and hereinafter referred to by the name xe2x80x98Golden Yohelgaxe2x80x99.
The new cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Alva, Fla. The objective of the breeding program is to create new garden-type Chrysanthemum cultivars having inflorescences with desirable inflorescence forms, attractive floret colors and good garden performance.
The new Chrysanthemum is a naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of the Chrysanthemumxc3x97morifolium cultivar Yohelga, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 13,811. The new Chrysanthemum was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant from within a population of plants of the cultivar Yohelga in a controlled environment in Alva, Fla. in April, 2002. The selection of this plant was based on its desirable inflorescence form, attractive ray floret color and good garden performance.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal vegetative cuttings in a controlled environment in Alva, Fla. since June, 2002, has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
The cultivar Golden Yohelga has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Golden Yohelgaxe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Golden Yohelgaxe2x80x99 as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. Upright and outwardly spreading plant habit.
2. Freely branching habit; dense and full plants.
3. Uniform and freely flowering habit.
4. Large decorative-type inflorescences with elongated oblong-shaped ray florets.
5. Bright yellow-colored ray florets.
6. Natural season flowering in mid September in the Northern Hemisphere.
In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the parent, the cultivar Yohelga, primarily in ray floret coloration as plants of the cultivar Yohelga had creamy white-colored ray florets. In addition, plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered about one day later than plants of the cultivar Yohelga when grown under natural season conditions.
Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of the Chrysanthemum cultivar Janice, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,817. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivar Janice in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered about five days earlier than plants of the cultivar Janice when grown under natural season conditions.
2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered later than plants of the cultivar Janice when grown under artificial short day/long night photoperiodic conditions.
3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had larger inflorescences than plants of the cultivar Janice.
Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can also be compared to plants of the Chrysanthemum cultivar Gedi One Avi, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 13,455. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivar Gedi One Avi in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered about ten days earlier than plants of the cultivar Gedi One Avi when grown under natural season conditions.
2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had larger inflorescences than plants of the cultivar Gedi One Avi.